Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha

It is boring. It is slow. It’s not romantic. It’s not funny. It’s not sad. What is it? A 144-minute snoozefest. It does get weaker as it goes along, leading to some very predictable plot developments. Watching the same scene replayed three times is like getting stuck in a loop of deja vu, but with the thrill of a soap opera rerun. It’s exhausting, like being trapped in a never-ending episode of a daily soap. And let’s not forget the classic sidekick trope—a best friend who’s supposed to be the comic relief. It’s as overused as yesterday’s leftovers and just as unappetising. Just when you’re bracing for some much-needed sizzle with the arrival of Vasudha’s husband Abhijeet, brought to life by the ever-charming Jimmy Sheirgill, you’re left disappointed. Neeraj Pandey teases you with the promise of excitement but delivers a big, fat nothing to take home.

Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha Movie Story Review: Neeraj Pandey's story is okay and should have had more meat. Neeraj Pandey's screenplay works in some scenes but overall, it doesn't blow viewers away, which ideally should have happened in a film like this. The dialogues have depth and a few of them are even funny. But again, in the absence of a solid script, even the dialogues don't work as intended.

Right from the lofty title (nobody is trying to oppress the hero!), the film keeps aiming to be an epic, and keeps falling short. For a pair to go into slow combust mode, the romance should have greater intensity and a smoulder that goes beyond popping peanuts and have inane dialogue like, 'Why does love make us lose sleep!' Still, there is a youthful charm to Krishna (Shantanu Maheshwari), an orphan who has pulled himself up by the bootstraps, and has a career in computers lined up. He falls in love with chawl neighbour Vasudha (Saiee Manjrekar), who also has dreams of becoming successful and helping her family. These two are so sweet and earnest, they are watchable, even though the loud music (M M Kreem) drowns out any tenderness.

The joy of watching seasoned warhorses Ajay Devgn and Tabu in a star-crossed romance is undercut by the movie’s mothballed treatment: instead of being fresh, it feels dated, a vehicle unworthy of its star pair. Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha is a clunky title for a film which should have been anything but. Devgn and Tabu are amongst that rare breed in Hindi mainstream cinema which combines stardom and terrific actorly qualities, but even the best actors need to be used well.